NSA: Military Developing New Strategies to Curtail Terrorism

*Says there’ll be renewed momentum against insecurity

*Admits Nigerians are tired, gravitating towards self-help 

*Promises those found wanting in kuje jailbreak won’t go unpunished 

*Guards brigade, others kill 30 terrorists in Bwari 

*Atiku vows to rescue Zamfara from insurgency  

*Stop the killings, kidnapping, new CAN president urges Buhari PDP

*N’Assembly caucus collecting signatures to impeach president
*Planned removal of president too late, Umeh, Ozekhome posit 

*Buhari has failed us all, Afenifere laments

Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Adedayo Akinwale, Sunday Aborisade, Udora Orizu in Abuja, Segun James, Nume Ekeghe in Lagos, Francis Sardauna in Katsina, Fidelis David in Akure and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), yesterday, allayed general concerns over the growing insecurity in the country, when he said the military has already begun to develop new strategies to curb the tide of terrorism.
Monguno, who spoke after the National Security Council (NSC) held its third meeting in one month, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the State House, Abuja, admitted that Nigerians were tired of the current security challenges facing the nation and had begun to gravitate towards self-help.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting held at the Council Chambers and lasted about four hours, Monguno, who said the NSC reviewed the security situation in the country with a pledge to take urgent steps to address concerns, also promised that those found wanting in Kuje jailbreak wouldn’t go unpunished.
In what appeared like a rebound, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said military air strikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force in a joint operation with  troops of 7 Guards Battalion, decimated 30 terrorists in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, even as it restated its commitment to protect the seat of power and Nigerians.

But the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, vowed to rescue Zamfara State from the throes of terrorists if elected president in 2023.
In a related development, the PDP Caucus in the National Assembly, yesterday, met behind closed doors to discuss the proposed impeachment of President Buhari and had immediately begun to collect signatures to that effect.
Meanwhile, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), has warned that the activities of bandits and the general insecurity in the country was already threatening the continued unity of the nation.
This is as the North West chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has joined other Nigerians of like-minds to decry what it described as an alarming rate of insecurity in the country.

However, Monguno, who revealed  that government was currently working on new strategies to curtail the worsening insecurity in the country, explained that the military had agreed on new strategies to curtail the menace,  assuring Nigerians that there would be a renewed momentum against terrorism.
He said: “Members of the armed forces have also made a commitment that in the coming weeks, they have already started working on a new strategy to deal with these snippets of violence. And they’ve given their word, their commitment to the president, that there will be a change in momentum, regardless of the fact that there might be certain institutional limitations, which they face. But they understood the enormity of the responsibilities that they have.”

Stressing that the security situation could result in the citizenry gravitating towards self help, he said, “I know people are weary, people are tired, people are beginning to gravitate to other places for self help. The truth is that help is rooted in everyone working for the other person.”
He, therefore, canvassed for the support of the people in fighting terrorism, saying tackling security problems should be the task of everybody and not that of government alone.

His words: “Today’s meeting was convened by the president, as a continuation of the meeting that took place last week to discuss the technical issues and the taskings that were given to the various security agencies. The meeting deliberated on all those issues, after the brief by the National Security Adviser, which is usually the procedure.

“Again, council deemed it necessary to inform the general public, that fighting this type of asymmetric conflict is a collective effort. It’s not something that should be confined to only the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
“When we keep saying whole of society approach, whole of government approach, to get a whole of nation approach, what it means is that everybody has to partake in this enterprise. The truth is that no country can ever overcome the difficulties of an asymmetric conflict by virtue of the fact that the enemy of the state is embedded within the population within the wider society.

“It is true that the local people are averse; they’re scared; they’re worried and there’s no confidence. That is understandable. But without their support, without the cooperation in terms of giving information, it makes it very hard for the operational elements.
“A few days ago, troops of the guards brigade were ambushed and decimated. Had there been a collective effort by way of just snippets of information, we might have averted that incident. That is not to say that the responsibility is for those outside the security domain. It’s a collective responsibility.”
Monguno also has a word of advise for the political elite, whom he said should watch their utterances at this period so as not to compound the problems on ground.

He said, “Equally, the political elite is also urged to take into account the consequences of utterances, especially, from people who have established a reputation, people who are considered leaders of thought, people, who are considered to have some kind of influence in society – whatever goes out may be harmful, not just to the government, if that is the intention, which I doubt may not be a deliberate thing, but at the end of the day, it will affect the wider society.”
He also called on the media to be positive in their reportage of the security challenges facing the nation.
“Council is also concerned about the nature of media reporting incidents with  regards to insecurity. It is important for the media to understand that certain reports being generated by the media, either the way and manner in which they report can also aggravate this delicate situation,” saying Nigeria was in a difficult situation and that the president was aware of the people’s concerns about the growing insecurity.

According to him, “We are in a very difficult situation, and Council understands. Mr. President understands people’s concerns about the growing insecurity. But I can assure you that there’s no straight cut and dried method of dealing with this thing unless all of us embrace each other.”
On the recent jail break at the Kuje Correctional, Monguno said, the probe panel was on the verge of winding down, and that officials found culpable would be punished.
“Council is in the process of winding up the special investigative panel on the Kuje incident. And the idea is to come up with recommendations, hold those who are supposed to be held accountable for their deeds and to ensure that this type of thing never ever, ever happens again in this country,” he said.

Guards Brigade, Others Vanquish 30 Terrorists in Bwari

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has disclosed that military air strikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force, in a joint operation with  troops of 7 Guards Battalion, killed some 30 terrorists in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, restating its commitment to protect the seat of power and Nigerians.
DHQ said the operation was was a response to the  killing of military personnel by insurgents in the same location last week.

It also restated its commitment to the protection of the  seat of power and Nigerians in its ongoing operations to weed the nation’s capital of terrorists.
It debunked claims that more soldiers other than the official figures released were killed in the clash with terrorists in Abuja as contained in a viral voice note of an alleged soldier just as it maintained that the military high command would probe claims that military personnel were involved in collection of ransom payment meant for kidnappers if such a report was brought before it.
Defence Headquarters also disclosed that naval troops operating in the Niger Delta recovered  5,159,500 litres of crude oil, 1, 432,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and deactivated 80 illegal refineries.

At a media briefing in Abuja, Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj Gen Bernard Onyeuko,  said “troops of 7 Guards Battalion and 167 Special Force Battalion in conjunction with the air component of Operation Whirl Punch conducted a clearance patrol around Bwari general area between 24 – 26 July 2022.
“Troops successfully cleared  Kawu and Ido Villages. Consequently, about 30 terrorists were neutralised and their enclave and hide out destroyed. Ground troops also recovered 6 x motorcycles, 2 x AK47 rifles, 1 x fully loaded LMG magazine amongst others during mop up,” he said.
Onyeuko affirmed that the military high command remained committed to the protection of the seat of power and the rest of the country.
In his remarks at the briefing, the Director Defence Information (DDI), Maj Gen Jimmy Akpor, urged the media to continue to support the military in ensuring that the enemies of the nation were defeated.

On the voice note being circulated on social media purportedly belonging to a soldier involved in the attack, Akpor said inquiries to know its authenticity was unnecessary but maintained that if  found to be true an investigation would be initiated.

Atiku Vows to Rescue Zamfara from Terrorists

Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who promised to rescue Zamfara from terrorists if elected president in 2023, explained that the only way to rescue and rebuild the state was by voting out the ruling APC in the forthcoming polls.
Atiku, according to a statement in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, said he would work to ensure that the state PDP gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Dauda Lawal, won the 2023 general election.

According to the statement, which was released by Lawal’s campaign office, Atiku spoke when the Zamfara State PDP gubernatorial candidate and other chieftains of the party visited him at his residence in Abuja.
The statement read: “To achieve that, there is the need for having a united PDP, which will be formidable enough to face any opposition no matter how difficult it may be.

“The best thing to do for the people of Zamfara State, is to bring about peace, secure farms, and provide businesses. But the situation now is otherwise. We must unseat the APC to rescue and rebuild the state and the country. PDP administration would resuscitate the textile industry.”
Earlier, Lawal, a former Executive Director of First Bank, explained that he led PDP stakeholders and APC stalwarts that decamped to the PDP to congratulate Atiku on his victory at the party primaries, which gave him the presidential ticket of the party for the 2023 general election.

Impeachment: PDP N’Assembly Caucus Collecting Signatures

The PDP caucus in the National Assembly met behind closed doors on Thursday to discuss the purported impeachment of President Buhari and to show the extent of their seriousness, they had begun to collect the signatures of willing federal lawmakers.
The PDP Caucus in the red chamber had before the Senate adjourned plenary to September 20, asked Buhari to end insecurity in Nigeria within six weeks or risk impeachment.

Their House of Representatives counterparts fully joined their senate colleagues yesterday and expressed their support for the impeachment move.
Senate Minority Leader, Phillip Aduda and his counterpart in the House, Ndudi Elumelu, briefed journalists after the joint closed door meeting.
They said the collection of signatures across party lines would be taken at the two chambers in September, if Buhari failed to tackle insecurity before the expiration of their ultimatum.

Aduda explained that the plan to sack Buhari if he failed to honour their demands, was not the idea of the minority caucus in the Senate but a resolution taken by the entire senators at the closed session held on Wednesday.
Aduda said, “Indeed, all of you are aware of what happened yesterday and we felt that there was the need to be on the same page with the members of the members  of the House of Representatives. Our actions yesterday were spontaneous from the issues that were raised on the floor of the Senate.

“We all agreed that the security architecture is failing and there is need to salvage it immediately and we also agreed that we must issue an impeachment notice to the president, because the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives of the citizens.
“We have called the caucus in the House of Representatives so that we can discuss with them so that they can hear from us and understand what we did yesterday.”

Elumelu also told journalists that his colleagues in the green chambers would start collecting signatures as soon as the ultimatum expired without improvement in the disturbing security situation in the country.
He said, “They (senators), have given six weeks for Mr. President to address the insecurity that is, of course, affecting this nation, and I want to join on behalf of my colleagues to also say that upon the expiration, we will proffer ways of ensuring that we will gather all the signatures.

“Let me make it clear, those who are thinking that it is only the issue of PDP or the minority caucus. Many of our colleagues under the bipartisanship are affected. Many of them are affected. They may not be speaking but we may be speaking for them. And when the time comes, I heard somebody this morning saying it is a laughable attempt to want do that.

“Perhaps, when the action starts, the person will find out that it’s not a laughable action. It’s real and we will not stand to allow this nation collapse. We think that it’s high time, the insecurity of this nation was addressed. We also have the issue of oil theft, which has risen, now making it difficult for us to earn income from oil revenue.

“These and many others are the reasons we are joining our colleagues in the Senate to ask Mr. President to address the insecurity of this nation within six weeks, otherwise, we will find the constitutional means to ensure that we serve him an impeachment notice.”

Impeachment Move Too Late, Say Umeh, Mike Ozekhome

But Senator Victor Umeh and Foremost human rights lawyer, Mr Mike Ozekhome (SAN)have condemned moves by the National Assembly to commence an impeachment of President Buhari.
The duo, who spoke on Arise News, said going by the provisions of Section 143 of the Constitution, the path to the president’s impeachment was cumbersome, considering the time left before the general election.
“If the president is alleged to have conducted gross misconduct, there are steps to take. One thing to do if you want to proceed in that direction is to have the requisite numbers,” Umeh said.

He stated that those who are gunning for the president’s impeachment must be able to muster two-thirds majority of both chambers of the federal legislature to agree to investigate the president  for such an undertaking to sail through.
“If they don’t have that number, it will be a distraction of the highest degree,” he said.
In the same vein,  Ozekhome said the National Assembly would not be able to carry out such a task, considering the short period left of the Buhari administration.
“I do not see them carrying it out. Impeachment has many stages. It could take two to six months. I don’t see it happening with the general election in about six months,” he said.

Ozekhome, however, took a swipe at the National Assembly for embarking on  such a project belatedly and failing to take such a step earlier  in spite of insecurity and the economic woes bedevilling the nation.
“This senate is the worst that we have had since Nnamdi Azikiwe and Nwafor Orizu. The 8th Senate was the best, because they could speak truth to power; they could look the devil in the eyes and speak the truth. I call this Senate a take a bow senate. I put the blame on the doorstep of the Senate President and the National Assembly,” he said.

Buhari’s Govt Has Failed Nigerians, Says Afenifere

A Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has said  the situations that unfolded in Nigeria within the week have further confirmed that those piloting the affairs of Nigeria currently were far from reality that Nigerians were dealing with on an hourly basis.
Afenifere, in a statement, said, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has failed Nigerians in view of the lackadaisical manner government was handling security situation.

In the statement signed by its publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere while listing three instances worthy of immediate recall, blamed Buhari’s appointees for lying to him.
It made reference to the drama at the National Assembly on Wednesday, where the President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan went against the decision taken during the close-door meeting of the House’s officials to discuss the security situation in the country with a notice of impeachment to be served on President Muhammadu Buhari.

Afenifere wondered if Lawan preventing the Senators from discussing the issue, would put an end to the menace or assisting it to fester.
They also mentioned how deceitful those around the president were following the disclosures by two serving Ministers, Ahmed and Mohammed, after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The organisation recalled that the Minister of Information, Lai Muhammed, described the threat by terrorists to kidnap President Buhari and Governor Rufai as laughable while his counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said the Nigerian economy was doing very well, far better than under the previous administrations.

“As at 2015, when President Buhari took over, Nigeria’s inflation rate was a single digit of 9.01%. Inflation today is 17.71%. As of 2015, Nigeria’s debt revenue stood at N8.8 trillion. As at today, the debt figure is N41 trillion. In 2015, a litre of petrol stood at N87 while it hovers around N190 –N200 today per litre.
“In 2015, when President Buhari assumed office, the dollar was exchanging at about N190 per US Dollar. Today the exchange rate is a little above N700 to a Dollar. When President Buhari assumed office then, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at $486 billion. The GDP as of 2021 dropped to $440 billion while it has dropped even further now.

“Yet, the minister in charge of our finance said the economy is doing ‘very well’. With such briefings from his officer in charge of economy, how would the President know that his government has failed woefully in that sector?
“Enter the Minister of Information. He described the threat of kidnap as laughable while speaking with journalists. Yet, the reality around us proved otherwise. Programmes such as that of the Nigerian Law School in Abuja, were shifted or adjusted. Unity schools were shut down.

“Not only that, officials of the Presidential Guards were reportedly attacked first on the way to Daura, President Buhari’s hometown and second in the Federal Capital Territory as confirmed by the Army authority. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, July 27, said the Department of State Services, DSS, shared 44 intelligence reports before the attack on Kuje Prisons,” Afenifere stated.

Owo: Insecurity Fueling Imminent Civil War, OPC Warns

The OPC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Oguntimehin, has warned those fomenting trouble in the country to refrain from attacking the south west region as such would be met with stiff resistance.
The OPC, while reacting to the rising insecurity across the country, especially, with the repeated attack on Owo town, insisted that the southwest region should not be taken for granted by the perpetrators.

Oguntimehin decried the various terrorists’ attacks in the Federal Capital Territory and some parts of the north, stressing that the porous security situation in the country was a pointer to imminent war capable of pushing Nigeria to the precipice.
He blamed the federal government for failing to act decisively on the issue of security as the docile posture of the government was giving the impression that it has been overwhelmed by the protracted security challenges.

“From the present situation in the country, it is evident that the federal government has been overwhelmed by the rising spate of insecurity in the country. President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to match his words with actions.
“For instance, public schools in Abuja, Nasarawa State and some other parts of the North are shutting down as a result of the rising insecurity. The situation is getting worse everyday with numbers of killings increasing sporadically.

“However, there is urgent need for the southwest governors to rise to the security situation before it is too late. We should not take the terrorists’ threats with levity. We must act now”.
Meanwhile, two workers of a construction company known as ‘Craneburg Construction Company’ in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo, were seriously injured over an attack by unknown gunmen at the construction site.
The attack which occurred Wednesday night, came coming after the bloody June 5 attack on worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church, owo which left 40 people dead.

The gunmen, it was gathered, shot sporadically into the air and damaged the windscreen of the trailers at the construction site while the injured people have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo and are responding to treatment.
When THISDAY visited the scene, an eyewitness and Safety Officer with the company, Engr Olasuyi Olasunkanmi, explained that they were attacked at about 9:45 pm on Wednesday during which a dynamite explosion and gunshots were unleashed by the hoodlums.

“Yesterday, we were sitting outside the construction site and we saw some men, who came down from a 18 seater white vehicle, and started shooting sporadically. Unfortunately, gunshots met one of our staff known as “Abraham”  who is our roller operator and the rest escaped from there while the gunmen entered the site premises and shot another staff we popularly refer to as “DPO”  who is our plant operator.

“The gunmen damaged our vehicles and other equipment but we thank God that no life was lost”,  Okasuyi added.
Secretary of Owo LGA, Mr Taye Adakun, said about two dynamites were detonated during the attack.
The Chief Security Officer of the site, Mr Aladesulu Olatunbosun, also said nobody was killed during the attack, but called on government to deploy more security personnel across the area

Earlier, the Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, confirmed the development, saying security agencies in the state were on top of the situation.
According to Akogun, who doubles as the Special Adviser to the Ondo State Governor on Security Matters, “by the grace of God, the situation is under control and I urge everyone to go about their normal businesses”, he said.

North West APC Decries Alarming Rate of Insecurity

The North West chapter of the APC, which decried the alarming rate of insecurity in the country, has urged for proactive measures to address challenges of insecurity in every part of the country.
In a statement yesterday by APC Zonal Publicity Secretary, North West, Malam Musa  Mada, the party noted that its leaders from the zone under the leaderships of APC National Vice Chairman, Malam Salihu Lukman, made their opinion known after a fact-finding tour of the zone, which ended in Katsina State with security issues in focus.

“The North West Zonal Leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) under the National Vice Chairman Malam Salihu Lukman, was in Katsina State on Wednesday 27th July, 2022, and met with the party’s stakeholders led by His Excellency, Governor Aminu Bello Masari to round off the fact-finding tour, which began in Kebbi State on Monday 4th July 2022.

“The tour, which covered all the seven states of the zone met the party stakeholders and leaders in the ancient city of Katsina, the Katsina State capital and discussed numerous issues concerning the party affairs as usually transpired in states already visited.
“Like in Sokoto and Zamfara, security challenges facing the zone took a center stage, where the participants urged for proactive measures to address challenges of insecurity in every part of the country,” it stated.

The party leaders noted that the federal government, has been very responsive to the needs of security agencies in the country, while urging them to live up to the expectations of Nigerians by bringing to an immediate end, the menace of insecurity ravaging every part of the country.

Again, Bandits Kill Six in Fresh Attack in Plateau Community

At least six persons were killed in a fresh attack by bandits on Pinau village of Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday, carting away farm produce from the community.
The incident is coming five days after residents of the community raised the alarm over withdrawal of soldiers from the area, a development that forced hundreds of them to flee their homes to Wase town, the headquarters of the LGA.

A resident of the community, Mallam Garuba Kasuwa, said the bandits stormed the community in broad day light, at about 3pm, shooting at the people and causing stampede, and in the process, killed at least six persons, adding several others were injured.

Stop the Killings, Kidnapping, New CAN President Urges Buhari
The newly elected President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Most Reverend Daniel Okoh, has charged President Buhari to end killings, kidnapping and insecurity bedeviling the country.

He said the concerns about possible religious bias engulfing the polity was a genuine fear borne out of the recent happenings in the polity especially, with the decision on same faith ticket by one of the major political parties in Nigeria.

“We are coming in at the time that all of us in the Christian faith believe that some section of political leaders are not sensitive to the diverse nature of our population when certain decisions are being made.
“Many Christians feel and have the genuine fear that there is a deliberate plan to remove the Christian faith from the scheme of things and make us second-class citizens in our own country,” he said

Reverend Okoh, while making his acceptance speech at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, however, commended President Buhari for his efforts in tackling insecurity, adding that, the government could do more by adopting modern technologies to save lives and properties.
“Fellow leaders, Elders, brothers and sisters, before I end this speech, while thanking the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“President Muhammadu Buhari, for his efforts to combat terrorism and banditry, I would like to appeal to His Excellency to end the blood letting, kidnapping and general insecurity in all the geo-political zones of the country. I believe that government can do more to secure lives and property given all the modern technology within its reach,” he said.

Further, he said his emergence as the substantive President of CAN from one of the blocs that never had a shot at the Presidency, attested to the commitment of the organization to pull together resources from various traditions of the Church of Christ in Nigeria for a more effective participation in Nation Building.
“Whatever happens, no matter how many times our sensibilities are insulted, we must resolve to to make positive impact on the political, economic and social systems of our dear nation.

“For us to remain relevant, therefore, the first step is to increase our efforts to work towards Christian Unity and mutual understanding among the denominations of the Church in Nigeria.
“We may have our individual visions about what we think CAN should be and be doing but we really need to take a closer look at the reasons why CAN was formed in the first place.

“We must be seen to walk and work together now more than any other time; we must speak with one voice; and we must make ourselves available for the work of this one umbrella association that God gave to us particularly at a time like this. We should pull our material resources together as the early Apostles did to be able to equip CAN to fully make the necessary impact,” he said.